Sunbathing affects fertility across generations

Norwegian researchers have found that children born in years with lots of solar activity had a higher probability of dying compared to those who were born in the years with less sunlight.

On average, the lifespan of children born in years that had a great deal of solar activity was 5.2 years shorter than other children.

The largest difference was in the probability of dying during the first two years of life.

"There are probably many factors that come into play but we have measured a long-term effect over generations. The conclusion is that you should not sunbathe if you are pregnant and want to have a lot of grandchildren," said lead researcher Gine Roll Skjaervoe from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) department of biology.

The team also found that children who were born in years with lots of sunshine and who survived were also more likely to have fewer children, who, in turn, gave birth to fewer children than others.

The finding shows that increased ultraviolet (UV) radiation during years of high solar activity had an effect across generations.